Embassy of the Republic of Maldives in London has promoted destination Maldives at the Bedford Italian Festival. The activities, organized in goodwill by the Ambassador Dr. Farahnaz Faisal and her staff were carried out in cooperation with Mayfair Insurance who provided the space free of charge at the festival ground.  Bedford girls were dressed in culturally representative outfits greeting the visitors at the Mayfair stall who displayed luxury cars they insure, attracting a large number of visitors. The visitors were given information on travel options to the Maldives.

"We understood that Maldives brand is seen by majority of the visitors as a luxury travel destination. They were unaware of the Guest House sector of our tourism industry." Said Dr. Farahanaz Faisal.

The embassy team spread information brochures that showcase the four products of the Maldives tourism industry; resorts, guesthouses, liveaboards and hotels.

The Managing Director of Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed acknowledged the need to diversify tourism campaigns that will reach travellers of all niches.

"We are grateful for these efforts to promote Maldives by Maldivians living abroad especially the diplomatic missions of Maldives. We definitely have a diversified approach to reach markets that encompass all kinds of travellers" said Thoyyib Mohamed.

Bedford Italian Festival is a cultural festival held in Bedford to celebrate the diversity of the town with food, music and a display of Italian cars. Bedford Borough has an estimated population of 170,000 and the festival was one of the most visited ones. Approximately 14,000 people of Italian descent lives in the area.

Italy and UK are major markets to Maldives holding 8.7% and 7.5% market share respectively. Arrival figures from January to June rank Italy as the third market to Maldives with an increase of 33.7% while UK shows 12.6% increase for the same period compared to last year.